


Out Of My Mind

by leobrat



Category: General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-09
Updated: 2011-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-16 19:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/168656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leobrat/pseuds/leobrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was a date, like it or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out Of My Mind

“Waiting for someone?”

Cruz looked up at the bartender of the Metro Court. It was New Year’s Day and he was the only patron- the rest of the town was still sleeping off their hangover.

“Uh, yeah,” Cruz mumbled, sipping at his highball. He checked his watch. She was late. It was in such direct opposition to Lucky’s stickler promptness. He couldn’t remember if she was always late.

“Hot date?” The bartender prodded, clearly bored, and probably aggravated at having to work such an empty shift.

Cruz laughed. “Uh, no, no...Not a date...no, not a date,” he repeated and the bartender rolled his eyes.

Not a date. Definitely not a date. He kissed her, it was just a New Year’s kiss. She was still Lucky’s baby sister, even if she was-

“That your Not-Date?” The bartender pointed over Cruz’s shoulder and he took a sip, turned to look and choked on the whiskey.

Lulu was wearing a chocolate brown dress, hugging high on her thighs and tall, tall, tall heels that made her legs go on forever. Cruz watched her walk down the steps, those legs...

She seemed to be aware of his reaction, smiling slyly as she got closer. “Hey Detective,” she grinned, eyes glinting with mischief and he remembered the eighteen-year-old kid who used to visit her brother at the station. She’d always been a pretty girl- she’d always been beautiful, but now...Lulu Spencer had definitely grown up.

Shit.

“Eating at the bar?”

“No,” Cruz answered, without turning around. “We’ll take a table.” He wanted privacy. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense, but he definitely wasn’t in the mood to share Lulu tonight.

Cruz led them to the back corner of the restaurant, as secluded as they could get. He guided his hand on the small of her back, pulled back her chair and helped her take off her coat. Damn. That dress, in its entirety...

“Detective?” She looked over her shoulder. In those heels, she was still a good few inches from looking him in the eye. She was coy, fluttering her eyelashes, and Cruz realized...this _was_ a date, like it or not. She was in her Big Girl Dress, with her Big Girl Heels. He had a sister, he knew how this worked. “Detective?” She prompted again, but he saw a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled.

He’d kissed her. Not a New Year’s kiss. He’d wanted her. This was a date, like it or not.

“That’s a pretty dress, Lulu.”

She dropped her eyelashes down, and her cheeks blushed prettily. She looked back up and smiled at him. “Thanks Cruz.”

Dinner passed, through a whole bottle of wine and then brandy. She surprised him a little with that, but he guessed working with Kate Howard had diversified her tastes. He could still see the girl who used to trail after her brother at the PCPD though, when her eyes lit up talking about her nephews (and Jesus, that mess with Elizabeth, Lucky and Nikolas), or when she kept interrupting his stories from Miami to ask him more details, laying her hand on his wrist. When she touched him, it was...he tried to remember if he’d ever helped her out of a car, or hugged her hello...tried to remember if she’d had this effect on him three years ago.

Thank God she didn’t, he didn’t know how he would have handled it then.

“So, how about Miami Metro? How does it compare with the PCPD?” She spooned up some more of her creme brulee and he watched her lick a bit from the corner of her mouth.

He cleared his throat. “It’s good...It’s...Nice to accomplish things,” he couldn’t believe he said that, but it was true.

Lulu raised her eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Cruz was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know if I should get into it.”

She snorted and it shouldn’t have been adorable but it was. “Well, you can’t just throw something like that out there, and not follow up.”

Cruz sighed. “Look...Mac’s a good cop, but...the way this town is run, it was just...frustrating to never see anything change.” She was quiet, waiting for him to continue. “Like the Corinthos crime family. I worked for three years, built up airtight cases, and time after time he just walks away. Smiling.”

Lulu nodded, and tucked her long blond hair behind one ear. He cleared his throat. He’d been avoiding it all night, but it bothered him too much to ignore it completely. “Lulu...What were you thinking with Johnny Zacchara?”

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth but abruptly closed it. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“I know it’s not,” he answered. It wasn’t. He had no right to ask, but still...

“I don’t talk about Johnny.”

“It’s just-”

“I don’t.” Lulu was firm, her pretty mouth set in a tight line. “I don’t talk about Johnny. Ever. To anyone.”

He nodded. Whatever it was between them, she had no obligation to tell him. And from all accounts, it was over.

“And just so you know,” Lulu continued, looking down at her plate. “He’s nothing like Sonny.” She leaned back in her chair, and Cruz wondered if he’d completely fucked up. “Is that why you left?” She asked very softly. “Because you thought the PCPD was...dirty?”

“I don’t want you to think that,” he said firmly. “There’s a lot of really good cops on that force- your brother included. And Mac. But it was...really hard to just watch bad things keep happening. And nothing change.”

“Well, a lot’s changed since you left,” Lulu replied. Her face got softer, and she said, so gently he almost had to laugh at himself. “But you know, Detective, bad things are always going to happen. And that’s not a reason to give up.”

“And you’ve always been wise beyond your years, Little Spencer.” He watched her slow smile, tucking her hair behind her ear again. Okay. He hadn’t fucked up. Not completely anyway.

They lingered over their brandy, and it was just after midnight when Cruz finally paid the bill. Just one day after he had kissed her- and it felt like the world was a completely different place. He helped her put her jacket over her shoulders, and absent-mindedly waved to the bartender over his shoulder. The man mouthed ‘date’ to him, and Cruz chuckled to himself when he felt Lulu slip her hand into his. She squeezed his hand. He squeezed back.

She shivered on the sidewalk as they walked outside, and Cruz put his arms around her, teasing her for not dressing for the weather but mostly just holding her. She fit really well against him. Too well. This was not good.

“Should I get you a cab?” He asked. The winter wind blew her hair across her face, and he’d watched her do it enough times over the night that he brushed it back from her forehead. Her eyes shined looking up at him, and he stilled his hand, thumb curving around the shell of her ear.

“Um...I thought...maybe, I could walk home...if you walk me home...it’s just....six blocks, that big brick building at the end of the street,” Lulu’s voice was quiet, uncertain, and Cruz swallowed hard. He knew what she was offering, and holy hell, did he want to take it.

“I...I have an early flight tomorrow,” he answered, regretting it immediately, not just for the way hurt quickly flashed across her face. “I...would love to...but...It might not be a good idea...Little Spencer.”

She nodded, and mercifully a cab pulled up. “Thanks for dinner,” she smiled but it was sadder than it had been a moment ago.

“Lulu,” Cruz said. There was too much to say. “It was...wonderful to see you.” He pulled her close, brushing his lips against her forehead. She smelled so sweet. He let go of her while he still could.

Cruz stood for a long time, watching the cab drive the blessedly short distance down the street. He sighed to himself. “Damn.”

* * *

Lulu sighed to herself as she kicked off her heels and worked her toes back and forth, relieved.

He was right, of course. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to take him home with her. She’d never been able to be casual about that- though something told her there would be nothing casual about it.

Cruz Rodriguez. Always the gentleman. She should have known.

She washed the make-up off her face, took off her dress and put on her favorite soft white cotton nightgown. Just as she was about to settle into bed (though she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon), she heard a quiet knock at her door.

Padding over and looking through the keyhole, Lulu audibly gasped when she saw who her one am visitor was. She opened the door and tried to ask Cruz what he was doing, but couldn’t speak because he had her swept up in his arms and was kissing her senseless.

Her feet dangled off the floor as he carried her through the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him.


End file.
